Timeline of Persia
550 BCE
547 BCE
545 BCE
Cyrus defeats the Median king Astyages at the battle of Pasargadai
and becomes the king of both kingdoms.
Persians clash with the Lydians at the Battle of Pteria.
530 BCE
Cyrus now expands eastward and reconquers most of Parthia, Sogdiana,
Bactria and Arachosia.
Polycrates the tyrant of Samos, allies with Egypt, defies Persia and builds
a fleet of 100 ships.
Persian king Cyrus captures Babylon and Mesopotamia; they become
part of the Achaemenid Persian empire.
Death of Cyrus II; Cambyses becomes ruler of Persia.
525 BCE
Cambyses conquers Egypt.
523 BCE
Smerdis usurps Cambyses and becomes ruler of Persia.
522 BCE
Death of Cambyses; Darius takes throne of Persia.
516 BCE
The Temple at Jerusalem was rebuilt.
512 BCE
499 BCE
494 BCE
Darius leads expedition against Scythian nomads but is forced to return.
Greek-speaking Persians revolt, but are defeated, known as the Ionian
Revolt.
Battle of Ephesus: Persians attack Greeks in retaliation for destruction of
Sardis.
Battle of Lade: Persians conquer Miletus; end of Ionian Revolt.
490 BCE
Battle of Marathon: Athenians defeat Persian army.
486 BCE
Death of Darius I: Xerxes I becomes ruler of Persia.
484 BCE
Egyptians revolt against Persian rule but are defeated; Xerxes appoints
his brother Achaemenes as governor.
The Persians defeat the Greeks in the battle of Thermopylae.
The Greeks then defeat the Persian navy in the battle of Salamis.
Battle of Plataea: Greeks defeat Persian army; end of Graeco-Persian
Wars.
540 BCE
539 BCE
498 BCE
480 BCE
479 BCE
465 BCE
460 BCE
Xerxes I murdered by his vizier; Artaxerxes I becomes ruler of
Persia.
Pericles preferred to make peace with Persians and oppose Spartans.
454 BCE
449 BCE
Artaxerxes I reconquered Egypt.
Peace of Callias signed between Athens and Persia.
448 BCE
The Greco-Persian War came to end with the "Peace of Callias”.
424 BCE
Xerxes II becomes ruler of Persia.
420 BCE
Nabataeans establish a kingdom with capital at Petra.
404 BCE
358 BCE
Death of Darius II, king of Persia. He is succeeded by his son
Artaxerxes II.
Cyrus is killed by his elder brother Artaxerxes II at the Battle of
Cunaxa near Babylon.
Start of Corinthian War. Persians stir up Athens, Argos, Corinth &
Thebes to revolt against Sparta.
Persian fleet defeats the Spartan fleet off Cnidus and begin to
overthrow Greeks from the Aegean.
Death of Artaxerxes II; Artaxerxes III becomes ruler of Persia.
343 BCE
Artaxerxes III retakes Egypt after defeating pharaoh Nectanabo.
338 BCE
Death of Artaxerxes III; Artaxerxes IV becomes ruler of Persia.
336 BCE
Darius III becomes last Achaemenid king of Persia.
334 BCE
Battle of Granicus: Alexander defeats Persians and takes control of
Asia Minor.
Battle of Issus: Alexander defeats Persians.
401 BCE
395 BCE
394 BCE
333 BCE
332 BCE
331 BCE
Alexander besieges and then captures both Tyre and Gaza. Alexander
defeats Darius III army at the Battle of Gaugamela.
Battle of Gaugamela: Alexander defeats Darius III and takes control
of whole Persian empire.